Humanity
by AriaHelena
Summary: 1940: Aria fell in love. 1941: He went off to war. 1945: He was home again. Not long after that, he left without a trace. She didn't wait long for him to come back. Sixty years later, she realizes how much she really needs him and in truth, how much he needs her. They stake their faith in their own humanity in each other. Starring: Damon Salvatore and Aria Monroe (my OC)
1. Welcome Back

Driving through the little town of Mystic Falls brings back so many memories. Most are good. The rest, not so much. With the top down, my little silver Porsche catches the eye of everyone I pass. I didn't come here for the people and I didn't come here for the memories. I came here looking for someone in particular.

I keep driving until the thick build-up of the residential area begins to give way to tree and vegetation. I stop in front of the familiar house, turning off my car.

"What are you doing?" I whisper.

I can't seem to find an answer to my question. I reach to turn the key and start the car back up, but I can't. I came here to face this, to face him. I take a deep breath and get out of the car. With my head held high, I walk up the driveway and to the front door. Before I can think about it, I knock on the door three times. I hear movement inside the house. I watch the doorknob as it begins to turn. I want to run. The survivor in me says I need to run. My feet won't move.

Then the door opens and there he is. I find myself looking into his eyes, those same blue eyes that won my heart all those years ago.

"Aria."

"Hello, Damon."

"What are you doing here?"

"I honestly don't know. Originally, I wanted to find you but now I think I should just go."

I turn away but before I can take a step, he grabs my wrist, "Wait. Something brought you here. What was it?"

"I'm not telling."

"Come inside."

"No, I_"

He smiles and pulls me into the house, successfully cutting my sentence short. I pull away from him and back away. Still, he smiles and something about it bothers me. I sigh and turn my back to him, which proves to be a mistake. His arms wrap around my waist and he kisses the back of my neck.

"Stop, Damon."

"You used to love this."

"Used to…"

"And then you left me."

"You left me first. As a matter of fact, you left me when we were living here. Why did you leave?"

"You ran off and when you didn't come back, I decided I didn't need to stay. What's your excuse?"

"I don't have an excuse for why I left, but I was going to come back." He moves away from me, "Why did you come back now?"

"I found something. It wasn't until I saw it that I realized I needed to see you. I needed closure."

"What did you find?"

I reach into my back pocket, removing a picture. I set it on the table in front of me and take a few steps away, keeping my back to him. I can hear him pick it up.

"I remember this. I had just gotten back from World War II and you were waiting for me."

I want to hide the fact that I'm crying so I don't speak. The picture is one of me in his arms. He's holding me high off the ground. We both have tears falling from our eyes as we kiss. He turned me that night.

"This was one of the best days of my life." He mutters, more to himself than to me.

Still, I refuse to say a word.

"Aria, are you okay?"

I nod.

"Then why won't you say anything?"

I shake my head.

"Aria, look at me."

I shake my head again.

"Please, just look at me. There are things I need to say and I need you to look me in the eye when I say them."

Slowly, I turn around. His eyes are clear, but I know him better than that. He wants to cry but he won't. He steps toward me. I want to move away, but, once again, my feet won't move. He puts his hands on my waist.

"Are you ready to hear this?"

I nod.

"For nearly a decade, I looked for you. Eventually, I gave up. I thought you were running from me and you didn't want to be found. For the next few years, I hoped you would show up on my doorstep like you did today. You never came. Do you hear me? You never came! My heart broke over and over. I didn't want to feel anymore so I turned off my humanity. I killed so many people in the beginning. I left this place and never thought about it again. I'm only here now because my brother needed me to be. As for that picture," He reaches into his back pocket, taking out his wallet and pulling the picture out of it, "I've carried around my copy since that day."

He puts his hand against my cheek and brings his lips closer to mine.

"Damon, no, that's…"

"You wanted closure. I'm going to give you closure, but I need it too. So I'm going to kiss you and then you have to make a choice. You either stay or you can leave. I'm not going to make that decision for you."

I put my hand over his and nod. My eyes meet his again and in his eyes, I find myself all over again. I find myself falling in love all over again. This isn't what I came for, but as his lips touch mine, I can't help but accept what's happening. If I want to be honest with myself, I didn't come here for closure. I came here to find out if he still loved me, if he ever loved me at all.

He pulls away but I don't open my eyes. I bite my bottom lip as my mind tries to find the right words so I can speak. I can feel his thumb moving against my cheek and I know he's waiting for me to say something. I think I may be waiting for him say something.

In a whisper, he says, "Aria, it's up to you now to decide what you want."

That is not what I wanted him to say. I can't make that decision, not on my own. I still can't find the words. Two words come out in a whisper.

"I can't."

My cheek feels cold when he takes away. I hear him sigh as he walks away. I open my eyes slowly and watch him as he begins to pace.

"Just listen to me. I can't make that decision. I need you to tell me what you want."

He stops pacing and looks at me, "Do you really want to know what I want?"

"Yes."

"I want to take you upstairs, strip you down, and kiss every inch of your body. I want to make you regret leaving and make up for all those lost years. I want you to tell me you love me and that you're going to stay. Most of all, I want you to decide what you want. It's not up to me! It was never up to me!"

As he spoke, his voice got louder and louder. Once he starts yelling, I shrink back and tears start rolling down my cheeks.

His voice is low as he approaches me, once again taking my face in his hands, "I loved you. Part of me has always loved you and always will. I want that to be all of me but it's not my choice. It's yours. I need you to stop thinking with your head and start thinking with your heart.

I could only think of one thing to say.

"What are you waiting for?"

"What?"

"All I've ever wanted was to give you everything you've ever wanted. Damon, the past few decades have been hell without you. I've been waiting for this moment, for you to tell me what you want and have it be everything I want. I love you, Damon Salvatore, and I'm sorry it took me so long to come back."

His lips meet mine with a ferocity I had never felt before. I can feel how much he had been holding back when he thought I would leave after. Though I don't think I can get any closer, he tries anyway. His arm is tight around my waist. His body moves against mine and I moan into the kiss. He lifts me from the floor and as if by instinct, my legs wrap around his waist. I feel a rush of air and I know we're no longer downstairs but in his bedroom. He supports me easily with one arm as his other hand pulls at the zipper of my dress.

I pull away from him but his lips continue to move against my skin. My own hands pull at his shirt. Whether I meant to or not, I tear the back of his shirt open. He breaks the thin straps of my dress and lowers the fabric from my upper body. When he runs his tongue down my neck, another moan escapes me.

"I've missed that sound." He whispers, "Do it again."

"Make me."

"You should not have said that."

He trails single kisses down my neck, down my shoulder and back up again. When his teeth replace his lips, the sensation sends a shock wave through my body. Another moan escapes my lips. He got what he wanted.

"It's your turn." I say.

I pull myself out of his arms, pushing him against the wall. I tear away what's left of his shirt. His chest is bare now, allowing me to scratch down his chest and his eyes close. I can feel him fighting the urge to reach out and grab me. I let my dress fall from my body before closing the space between us and placing several kisses along his collarbone and when I bite him, as gently as I can, at the base of his throat, a soft moan comes from him.

"There you have it."

"You win." He mumbles.

"I always do."

As he kisses me again, an inner turmoil erupts in my mind. What am I doing? This isn't what I came here for or maybe it is. Maybe this is exactly what I came here for, a second chance. Here we are, picking up right where we left off and I don't think I've ever been happier. I should be angry with him or at the very least upset with him, but I'm not. I want him to love me. Even now, I want nothing more than to give myself to him completely.

He takes control then and for once I am okay with submitting. He lifts me up again and carries me to the bed. He kneels down and sits me on the edge of the bed. He pulls his lips away and starts trailing kisses across my bare flesh, keeping true to what he wanted. The lower he gets, the more my body starts to tingle. I can feel him pulling at my underwear and I hear the soft tear as he rips them away. He glances up, meeting my eyes, before he spreads my legs and moves to bury his tongue inside me.

My head falls back as my hands grasp the edge of the mattress. I want to cry out. I want to scream his name but I can't find any real words. The only sounds that escape me are moans and low growls. He keeps it up until I have to pull him away. I need more. As he kisses me again, I quickly unbuckle his belt and remove his pants. He kicks them away and he moves me further onto the bed. Just to return the favor, I tear away his underwear.

My fingernails dig into his back, and, as he pushes into me, I moan much louder than before. Each thrust sends a shockwave coursing through me and with each wave I find myself begging for more. I think he can feel it by the way he moves faster and forces himself deeper into me. My legs wrap around his waist as my hands push against his chest. I flip him to his back and he sits up quickly, pulling me as close to him as he can. I grind against him and his hands hold me steady as my head falls back.

I find myself watching him as I move against him. His eyes are closed and he's biting his lip.

"Damn it, Damon."

"What?"

"Stop holding back."

"Okay, just remember you asked for it."

It happens so quick, I can barely comprehend his movements. In that instant, I'm on my back and he is giving me everything he's got. In that instant, I feel over fifty years of love, lust, anguish and loss. If this is what I missed out on then I'm looking forward to making up for it.

Eventually, he collapses. To be honest, I don't think I could have gone on too much longer. We lie there next to each other. I stare at the ceiling, but I can feel his eyes on me. Beneath the sheet, we had somehow found our way under, he takes my hand.

"What does this mean?" he whispers.

"I'm not going anywhere, Damon."

He releases my hand before reaching over and pulling me close to him. I pull my hair to the side just before he kisses the back of my neck.

"Are you going to tell me the real reason you came back?"

"I already told you."

"No, you're lying. You didn't know I was going to be here but you were hoping. If closure was all you wanted, there are easier ways to find it."

I sigh, rolling over and meeting his gaze, "You're right. I didn't know you would be here, but I hoped. Closure was also not what I was looking for. I wanted to know if you still loved me," I put my hand on his chest, lowering my eyes and voice, "if you ever loved me at all."

"There was never a time I didn't love you."

"But why? Why did you pick me?"

He smiles, "I picked you because you didn't pick me."

I smile, "What?"

"Stefan and I saw you at the same time. You looked over at us and smiled. I approached you and you shot me down. I watched you walk right over to him before you spent the night dancing with him. I decided that night that you would be mine."

As he speaks, he takes my hand in his, flipping it over and tracing the lines in my palm with his fingertips.

"How do you know that wasn't part of my plan from the beginning?"

"Because you slept with my little brother."

"One time in like 1930-something and you never let me forget it."

"Well why did you do it?"

"We've talked about this. We were both a little drunk and things got a little wild. Okay, it happened. Let it go. Because if I remember correctly, by 1940 you and I were together and couldn't get off of each other. Then you went off to war and I was one of those girls hanging around here waiting."

"I wrote you every week."

"That's the only reason I was okay with waiting. Do you remember Allison? Her fiancé shipped out with you."

"I think so, but I don't remember her being there when I shipped out. Why?"

"She would come over all the time to check on me. She couldn't believe how calm I was with you being gone. It was maybe a year or two after you left. I had a box full of your letters and she came just as I was putting away the most recent one. She told me that she'd never heard from him. I felt really bad."

"I remember that. You wrote me asking about him."

"And you told me that he wasn't in your regiment. I just remember thinking how lucky I was to have you. I mean you were gone but you were missing me. He just ran off, used the war to his advantage. I told her and she didn't believe. So when you came home, I brought her with me."

"How could I forget? She could barely stand when the truth finally sunk in."

"I felt so bad running to you the way I did."

"We had been apart for six years. We were lucky to see each other on holidays. There was no reason for you to feel bad."

"He left her, Damon. Then the moment I got the chance, I ran off leaving her alone while she cried her eyes out."

"It's over now. That was nearly sixty years ago. You don't have to feel guilty anymore."

"I don't feel guilty. I never felt guilty, just bad. Even that didn't last long. I mean, we went home, had sex and then you turned me into a vampire. There was no guilt to be felt. She wasn't even really my friend. She was just looking for someone to feel worse than her but she was stuck with me."

"Hey," he says, caressing my cheek, "I'm glad you didn't feel the way she did."

His hand moves to the back of my neck and pulls me closer. He kisses me once before putting his forehead against mine.

"What are you thinking about?" he whispers.

"I kind of want to go for a round two but I'm hungry."

"Human hungry or vampire hungry?"

"Take a wild guess."

"There's a stash in the basement but you're going to need clothes. What did you bring with you?"

"There's a suitcase in my trunk."

"I'll get it. You can borrow one of my shirts for now. Just make sure it's long enough to cover everything."

"Whatever."

I watch him walk to his closet. I smile and whistle. He looks back and winks. I voice a few catcalls and he laughs.

"Keep that up and we'll go right for round two."

"That's very tempting but I haven't fed in like a week."

"So you came to a town crawling with humans as a blood-starved vampire."

"Not starved but a good feeding wouldn't hurt."

He gets dressed as we talk. He takes a black dress shirt from a hanger in his closet and brings it over to me. I reach out to take it but he pulls it away. He touches his index finger to his lips. I shake my head.

"We can either do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Give me the shirt."

"Hard way it is."

He grins and drops the shirt to the floor. I gasp and pull the sheet over me. I can feel him pulling on the sheet and unfortunately he's stronger than me. He pulls it away and grabs me, lifting me from the bed. Considering I'm still naked, it's kind of weird when he tosses me over his shoulder.

"Damon, put me down!"

"Nope."

"Seriously, Damon, come on. I'm naked."

"So?"

He takes me into the bathroom before he finally puts me down. We're standing in front of the mirror. As he kisses my shoulder, I close my eyes and let my head fall back against him.

"So are you sure about that second round?"

I turn around to face him, putting my hands on his chest, "Are you afraid of something that sex is the most important thing to you right now?"

"Of course not."

"Don't lie to me, Damon."

He sighs, "I just don't want you to leave."

"I told you I'm not going anywhere."

"I know, but…"

He starts to pout, making me smile. I slide my hands up and around his neck, "How about I get in the shower while you go get my stuff from my car? Then when you come back, we'll take care of my hunger issue and then we can go for round two and three if you want."

"I knew there was something else I missed about you."

"And what is that?"

"You love being naked just as much as I do."

"Yeah, I guess the sex is just a perk of it all."

He shrugs, kisses my forehead and leaves me standing there. I watch him saunter away. Once he's out of my line of sight, assuming I'm out of his, I go over to the shower, turn on the water and step inside. When the water hits me, I just start crying. Maybe those were tears of built up agony, agony that's been building up behind a wall for sixty years. That's what I did after I left. I started building a wall and I locked my emotions, my humanity, behind it. Damon probably thinks he's the only one who went on a killing rampage after we split up.

I think about the years I spent in Europe, feeding my way across the countryside of France, Spain and Italy. There were others but those were the most significant. When I came back to the states, I stayed in California, doing pretty much the same thing with a little more discretion. Then I met a man by the name of Elijah Mikaelson. He brought me back but in the end, his family was more important than I was so I saw no point in sticking around. I didn't fall back into that despair but that didn't stop me from killing on a regular basis. I took lives in private rooms of night clubs in New York City, desert biker bars and casinos in Vegas. The list goes on. In the 70s alone, I killed maybe 200 people. Most of them were stoners out on the beach in the middle of the night.

I didn't really turn my humanity back on until about five years ago. I had starved myself for too long. I stumbled on a house in the backwoods of Louisiana. I killed everyone inside, including a nine year old girl. That was when I knew I had to stop and I started looking for the one person who had always been there to keep me in check. That's why I needed to find Damon.

Once I hit that realization, I stop crying. It wasn't until that moment that I realized he turned it off too after I left. Our humanity was pointless if we weren't together. We literally make a better person out of one another.

Just as I turn off the water, I hear the sound of the bedroom door opening. I take the towel from the hook on the wall and wrap it around my body.

"Damon!"

Oh no, is that Stefan?

"Damon," he knocks on the bathroom door, "are you in there?"

I sigh and open the door slowly. Stefan looks me up and down before he smiles.

"You don't look like my brother."

"Neither do you."

"Is that your car in my driveway?"

"You can say that."

"What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm taking a shower."

"Does Damon know you're here?"

"Of course Damon knows she's here."

I look past Stefan to see Damon standing by the bed, my suitcase in one hand and a glass of blood in the other. Stefan takes a step to the side, allowing me to walk past him. Damon gives me the glass. I sit on the bed and drink from it slowly, watching the two of them stare at each other.

"Well," I say, taking another sip, "this is awkward."

They both smile. Stefan nods and walks to the door. He stops and turns back to me.

"Welcome back, Aria. It's really good to see you."

"You too, Stefan."

*End Chapter 1*

Dear Readers,

I don't normally do this, but I really feel like I need to. Just a few short hours ago, I posted this story completely unsure of it. I checked my e-mail a few minutes ago (about 12:10 am on April 1st, 2014) and I cried seeing how much attention it had gotten in so little time. Everyone that favorite, reviewed, read it, and followed it (and me as an author), I thank you so much. You all have restored my faith in myself and my writing. So right here, right now, I want to recognize the people that did this for me. Everyone who reads this after I post it, I thank you all too.

So here, a special thanks goes out to:

arcangel12

demonicseer

beautifulwhiterose

Wilhem Wigworthy

AbigailLothbrok

Thank you all so much. Keep reviewing. Keep reading. You all really touched my heart.

Sincerely,

The Author


	2. Jealousy Becomes Her

As the door closes behind Stefan, I cross my legs and stare at Damon. I continue to drink from the glass in silence. After a while, Damon sighs.

"You should go talk to him." I mutter, looking at the glass in my hand.

"Why?"

"Because he wants to talk to you."

"How do you know?"

"I know him, Damon, just as I know you. There has never been a girl the two of you haven't fought over."

"Name one."

I smile, take a sip from the glass and meet his eyes, "Katerina Petrova."

"Come on, that's below the belt."

"You told me to name one." I take another sip, "By the way, what happened to her?"

He shrugs, "Don't know. Don't care."

I laugh, "Go talk to your brother while get dressed."

He does a mock salute, saying, "Yes ma'am."

He kisses my forehead, just as he did before, and leaves the room.

**DAMON**

Stefan is in the living room, a drink in one hand; the other hand is on the mantle over the fireplace.

"Brilliant, Damon."

I pour myself a glass of bourbon and join my brother by the fireplace, "What would you have done? Send her away?"

He shakes his head, "No, I would have done exactly what you did. Were it not for Elena, I would fight you right now for her, but she didn't come here for me." He turns to face me, "I wasn't lying when I said it was good to see her. I'm just worried."

"You don't need to worry about me."

"It's not you I'm worried about."

"I don't understand."

He sighs, "Did she ever tell you what happened after you left for war?" I shake my head no, so he continues, "That's what I thought. I was here that first year before I shipped out too. I watched her read your letters and with each one she sent back a little piece of her broke. She tried to deny it, put on such a brave for the outside world but in this house, she was just as broken as the next girl. She cried out for you in her sleep, on the rare occasions she slept. The day you came home was the first time I'd seen her with a genuine smile since the day I'd left. After that, I don't know what happened to her."

"Why didn't she_"

"Why didn't she tell you? Why didn't I tell you? She didn't want me to. She didn't think you needed to know. There was never a time she didn't love you, but eventually she felt like she couldn't stay."

"How do you know that?"

"She told me. She came to me the night before she left."

I close my eyes, trying my best to fight back my anger. It's quite involuntary when I throw my glass across the room. It shatters on impact, and I can feel myself shaking. His voice is monotonous and distant.

"My secrets are yours until I return again. I need to be on my own. I need to figure myself out before I drag you or Damon down with me. I'm falling apart, Stefan, and the only way to pull myself back together is to be away from here."

"What?"

"That's what she said to me. That was her way of swearing me to secrecy about why she left and what happened after you went away."

"So all this time you knew? Did you know where she went?"

He shakes his head, "I had no idea. I don't even think she knew where she was going."

"All this time, I could have found her! I was so worried she was running from me. All this time, she was. I could have helped her. Sixty years! Sixty years, she spent running from me."

Stefan glances behind me. I turn to see Aria standing there, tears in her eyes.

"I ran for you, for the both of you." She whispers.

**ARIA**

I open my suitcase, removing a part of denim shorts and a tank top. Next I take out a pair of boarding shoes and socks. Once I'm dressed, I head downstairs. I can hear Stefan talking. I can't go any further when I hear him sigh. I know what he's doing. He's telling Damon everything.

Stefan sighs, "Did she ever tell you what happened after you left for war?" He pauses, "That's what I thought. I was here that first year before I shipped out too. I watched her read your letters and with each one she sent back a little piece of her broke. She tried to deny it, put on such a brave for the outside world but in this house, she was just as broken as the next girl. She cried out for you in her sleep, on the rare occasions she slept. The day you came home was the first time I'd seen her with a genuine smile since the day I'd left. After that, I don't know what happened to her."

"Why didn't she_"

"Why didn't she tell you? Why didn't I tell you? She didn't want me to. She didn't think you were ready to know. There was never a time she didn't love you, but eventually she felt like she couldn't stay."

"How do you know that?"

"She told me. She came to me the night before she left."

I close my eyes, trying my best to fight back my despair. I catch sight of a glass flying across the space in front of me. It shatters on impact, and I can feel myself shaking. I take a few steps forward. Damon is visibly shaking. When Stefan speaks, his voice is monotonous and distant.

"My secrets are yours until I return again. I need to be on my own. I need to figure myself out before I drag you or Damon down with me. I'm falling apart, Stefan, and the only way to pull myself back together is to be away from here."

"What?"

"That's what she said to me. That was her way of swearing me to secrecy about why she left and what happened after you went away."

"So all this time you knew? Did you know where she went?"

He shakes his head, "I had no idea. I don't even think she knew where she was going."

"All this time, I could have found her! I was so worried she was running from me. All this time, she was. I could have helped her. Sixty years! Sixty years, she spent running from me."

Stefan's eyes meet mine moments before Damon turns around.

"I ran for you, for the both of you." I whisper, "There was something I never told either of you. That something is the reason I had to leave."

I walk into the living room and sit on the couch. Damon kneels down in front of me just before Stefan sits next to me.

"Talk to me, Aria. You could always talk to me." Damon whispers, kissing my hand.

"Stefan told the truth. I fell apart after you left. It only got worse after he left too." I take a deep breath and it comes out shaky, "It was late. I was in bed. I heard a noise. I was alone so I had to find out what it was. There was a man in the kitchen. In the beginning, I thought… I hoped it was you. You were supposed to come home in two months. I thought maybe you got to come home early, but it was Allison's ex. He thought she was here. I tried to fight him."

My head drops as I begin to cry. I can hear the tears in Damon's voice.

"Did he?"

"He didn't believe when I told him she wasn't here. He backhanded me. When I fell, when I tried to run, he grabbed me and started pulling at my clothes. I screamed the only thing I could think. I cried out for you. He just hit me again."

Damon's head is on my knees, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"That's not the worst part." I whisper, "He got me pregnant. The time for you to come home got closer and closer. I knew you wouldn't blame but I didn't know what you would do. It broke me down so much. Literally, a month before you came home, I miscarried. Part of me was happy but I was so guilty. Allison was there, in the house when this happened. I told her not to come out, no matter what she heard. Once he was gone and you were back, she left too. She had no idea."

"It wasn't your fault."

"But I carried that weight with me. It tore me up inside because I couldn't tell you. I couldn't bear seeing the look on your face if you found out. Once I was turned, all of these emotions got stronger. I stayed as long as could but I needed to go. I looked at you, at both of you, and all I saw was his face. Being in the house scared me."

"We could have moved. We could have done something." Stefan says, tears in his voice as well.

I shake my head and take Stefan's hand, "It wouldn't have helped. I needed to figure it out on my own. Damon, it was easier for me to leave without you knowing I was going anywhere. You would have tried to stop me. I only told Stefan because someone needed to know just half of what I was dealing with. The night I made my decision, you were out hunting, and me, well I was begging Stefan not to tell you and crying my eyes out."

Damon looks up at me, tears in his crystal blue eyes. He reaches up, putting his hands on my cheeks, forcing me to look at him. He doesn't say anything. We just stare at each other, my words hanging in the silence. I didn't run from him. I ran from the memories that came with him, with his name. I can hear my own scream echoing in my mind. The longer that memory replays, it leaves me feeling as though I'm living it all over again.

I sob escapes my throat and I throw myself forward, clutching tight to the man in front of me. I can that despair welling up inside me again. I barely feel Stefan stand up. I barely hear him leave the room.

"Aria, I'm so sorry. I should have been here. I shouldn't have left. I underestimated how much you needed me. I underestimated my ability to comfort you. Most of all, I let you down."

"You didn't let me down. I let you down. I let myself down. I should have gone to you, told you everything but I underestimated your ability to deal with it."

"I would have killed him, no question about it."

"Which is why I didn't tell you."

"You've been carrying this pain with you for so long. You don't have to carry this with you anymore. It's over. It's in the past. I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere. I promise." His thumb caresses my cheek gently as he smiles through his tears, "I love you."

"I love you."

"If I could go back… If I could stop it…"

"It's the past, just like you said. Besides, he paid for it."

"What do you mean?"

I wipe what few tears are left away and meet his eyes, "After I left, I tracked him down. He was living on a farm in the back country of Tennessee. Lucky for me, he was living alone. I tricked him into inviting me in. Then I killed him. I was so angry. I was so crazed. I fed so deeply that his head came off. I left his body there and set the house of fire."

"If you took care of it, why didn't you just come back? I can't kill a dead man."

"I wasn't ready. I still had those secrets and it took me years to find him. I was more than a little afraid you weren't waiting for me. That fear took me across the country, overseas, and back again several times. After I killed him, I made my way to California, then to Europe. You weren't the only one who flipped the switch. I killed hundreds of people, some I simply fed on, others didn't get off so easy. I was a ripper."

"What made you stop?"

"I had made it back to the states. I tried to bring myself back from that hole. I met someone when I was in California again. He was an original and he tried to help me. He helped me to get a point where I at least wasn't ripping anymore. After I left him, I found it really hard to feed at all. I hadn't fed in a really long time. I was in Louisiana. I found a house in the middle of nowhere. I set it on fire, forcing them out. I compelled them, telling them not to move. One by one, I fed on them. I was so out of it. I didn't know what I was doing. When I was done, I looked at them. I had a killed a little girl. That was when I knew I had to find you. I buried them and left, never looking back. I spent the last five years hunting you down. This was my last stop."

"Then why did you want to leave when you found me?"

"It was the way you looked at me, like you didn't really see me."

"I had been dreaming of that moment for a long time. I thought it was all in my head, just another dream. That's why I grabbed you, why I had to pull you into the house despite your protests. I needed just a little longer with you in my arms. To feel you, to really feel you, after all this time, I felt alive again."

"I've never heard you talk like this."

"That's what you do to me. It's what you've always done. I feel human when I'm with you."

I smile, leaning forward to kiss him, "After all this time, how is it you can still love me?"

"It's easy when I never stopped loving you in the first place."

I hear a couple of knocks against the wall. I look over to see Stefan standing there. Her hand in his, a beautiful, dark-haired girl stands a little ways behind him.

"Is it okay if we come in?" Stefan asks with a small smile.

"Of course." I wipe my face and stand up, "Who's this?"

"Elena Gilbert. It's nice to meet you."

I shake her hand when she extends it to me, "Aria Monroe."

"We were about to meet up with some people from school. Would you like to join us?"

I look at Damon; he shrugs so I nod, "Sure."

They walk out of the house ahead of us. As Damon pulls the front door closed, I lean against the brick wall there, "She looks just like_"

"Yeah, we know."

"Does she know?"

"Maybe. I don't know, but it's probably best you don't bring it up."

"Okay. One more question." He turns to face me as I say, "Does she know about us?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"However, no one else does. So keep the vampire thing to a minimum."

"I have to pretend to be human?"

"Just for a little while."

I groan and lean forward, putting my forehead against his shoulder.

"Come on, love, you'll be fine."

I start making my way to my car when Damon grabs me and pulls me into his arms. He kisses me, as only he could. Since the beginning, no one has been able to kiss me in a way that sent shivers down my spine.

"Are two coming?" Stefan yells.

"We'll catch up."

Damon's gaze stays locked with mine as he waves his brother away. His hand touches my cheek and he flashes that mischievous grin that I love so much. In the distance, I hear a car start, the sound of it disappearing as Damon forces me against the small length of wall by the door. As he presses his body against mine, he continues to kiss me. His hands move to my hips as his kisses move down my neck. I begin to take short breaths, most coming out in a soft growl.

"Maybe we should stay." He mutters.

"No, we should go."

"Are you sure about that?" he says just before his teeth scrape my flesh gently, causing me to moan.

"How can I be sure of anything when you're touching me like that?"

"Then be sure of nothing and let me take the lead."

"Damon, no, we should… we need to go."

He puts his hands against the brick on either side of my head. I bring my own hands up, putting them on his forearms. As his head drops, he sighs. When I kiss his wrist, he looks up at me.

I smile, saying, "Later I will be all yours and we can finish this. As a matter of fact, we can pick up right where we left off, in this exact same spot."

"I like the way you think." He reaches into his pocket, removing my car keys, "I'm driving."

"I suppose you've earned it."

I allow him to pull me to the car. He jumps into the driver's seat and starts the car as I get into the passenger seat. As he drives the car into the street, I can see the questions all over his face. Finally, he speaks.

"So where did you even get this car?"

"Huh?"

"The car? Where did it come from?"

"I sort of compelled the owner to think he sold it. I guess, technically, I stole it."

He doesn't say anything. He just smiles and keeps driving. The ride itself seems short enough but I grow anxious when the car finally stops. Damon jumps out and starts walking toward the building. When I don't move, he comes over to me and leans down, looking me in the eye.

"What's wrong?"

"We should have stayed home."

"It's a little late for that realization, don't you think?"

"No."

"Come on. I'll buy you a drink."

He opens the car door and holds his hand out to me. However reluctant I may be, I take his hand. He pulls me into his arms and kisses me once before we walk toward the building together. I look up at the neon sign that reads "Mystic Grill" and I shudder at the thought of a large group of people, humans no less. Damon opens the door and I walk past him. I look around me. The dimly-lit atmosphere of obnoxious teenagers mixed with drunken adults sinks in and I can feel my survival instinct rising in me.

_Run. _

_Don't run. _

_Damon won't let you run so you'll just have to endure._

Just as I catch sight of Stefan, Damon's hands touch my hips and he urges me forward. Together, we weave our way through tables and people. I'm standing in front of him when we finally make it to the table.

"I didn't think you two would show up."

"We almost didn't." Damon says with a smile, "She insisted we make an appearance at your little get-together."

"Well sit down." Elena smiles.

"Yeah, join us."

The girl who spoke seems like the very type of person I would have killed without hesitation when I was still senseless. She's blonde and maybe a little too perky for her own good. It's safe to assume she's a cheerleader and possibly prom queen. Judging by the disdain in her voice, she's not happy about my being here and I think it has something to do with Damon.

I sit between her and Damon, not letting her get close to either one of us. I meet Stefan's eyes for a short moment. He knows exactly what I was thinking. He nods as he lifts his drink to his lips and I can feel an anger, a jealousy rising within me.

"Aria, this is Caroline, Bonnie and Matt."

Bonnie is a little more reserved than her friend Caroline. Her hair is dark, her skin a natural tan. There's a power that radiates from her, a power I have only experienced a few times in my lifetime. Whether or not she knows it, she's a witch.

Matt a lot like Caroline is form but more like Bonnie in personality. Just by looking at him, I can see he has a strong head on his shoulders but he's not above the meaningless popularity he's gained in high school. My guess is football or something of that nature.

Once Damon stands up to go get our drinks, Caroline turns to me.

"So how do you know Damon?"

"The better question is why it matters."

"I mean, you just show up out of nowhere and all of a sudden you have some sort of claim on him. I'm just curious as to what makes that fair."

"Nothing in life is fair. So tell me. Are you upset that he's with me or is it just that he's not with you? Do you want to know what I think?"

"Please. Enlighten us."

"I think you're insecure. I think you're trying to attack me because you can't accept that someone on this planet doesn't love you. Newsflash, darling, the world does not revolve around you."

I say all of this with nothing but seriousness. I don't mean to insult her or attack her as she was me. In my head, I'm stating my opinions. So when I look up to see Elena watching me wide-eyed, Stefan and Matt stifling laughter and Bonnie avoiding my eyes all together, I'm confused.

"Let me tell you what I think." Caroline says, "I think you're just here because you want something. I mean, come on, who shows up after all this time just because they miss someone?"

"Normal people. I made a mistake leaving Damon when I did. I'm back now and he accepted me with open arms. It's possible to miss people you love, especially when it's your fault that you have to miss them."

Damon comes back just in time. He's carrying two shots of some dark liquor. When he sets mine in front of me, I down it quickly.

"Did I miss something?" he asks.

I look at him. He looks from me to Caroline and back again. He nods and gives me his glass. I toss it back just as quickly as the first. When I put the glass on the table, he pulls me up from the seat.

"Maybe we should have stayed home." He mutters.

"Can we just go?" I whisper, turning away from the group.

"Yeah. We'll see you guys later. I'm going to take her home."

As we walk out, I hear a single voice in the crowd.

"Damn, Care, she told you."

That must be Matt.


	3. Truth Revealed

I drive back to the house. I'm silent the whole time even though Damon tries his best to force me to speak. I speed up the driveway, stopping the car abruptly. I shift it to park and jump from the car. I walk quickly to the front door, but I can't get inside.

"Damon, come unlock the door!"

"Not until you tell me what happened back there."

"Can't we just go inside first?"

"No."

I lean forward, allowing my forehead to touch the door, "I lost my wits. That girl, that Caroline, she got to me. She challenged me."

"Challenged you?"

"She started questioning me and what I was doing here. Her first thought was that I wanted something from you. I let her get the best of me and I reacted poorly. Did something happen between the two of you?"

"Maybe but that doesn't matter."

"That says it all. Did you two sleep together?"

"Aria, let's just go inside."

"No! Now you're avoiding the question and that says it all."

"It says nothing."

"Yes it does. Just tell me the truth. Do you honestly think I'll care about something you did before I was back here, before you even knew I was still alive?"

"There was never a time I thought you were dead. If you must know, yes, I slept with her and I fed on her. To this day, I regret it because it's just awkward."

I turn to face him, "Was that so hard?"

He chuckles, "You confuse the hell out of me."

"I keep you on your toes."

He puts his hands on my waist, "That you do, love. That you do."

As he kisses me, my back arches just a bit. His lifts me up and forces me against the wall by the door yet again. His hands move up my shirt and just as he begins to kiss down my neck, the sound of a car door slamming shut hits my ears. I look over to see Stefan walking toward us. Damon doesn't let me go.

"We need to talk." Stefan says, walking past us and unlocking the front door.

Even after I try to pull myself free of Damon's grasp, he refuses to let me go. He instead carries me into the house. I watch Stefan pour himself a drink and swallow every last drop before looking at me.

"I'm sorry?" I say.

"Don't sound so unsure."

"What did I do?"

"Yeah what did she do?"

"She created a problem. Caroline is Elena's friend and if you're going to stay here, you need to make friends."

"What do you mean if?"

Damon finally lets me go but keeps me from walking toward Stefan.

"We need to set some ground rules since you're going to be staying here."

"Fine. What are they?"

"No drinking in public. You can't feed to kill, especially not within the city limits."

"That's easy."

"One more thing." He pauses and meets my gaze steadily, "You have to enroll at the high school."

Damon gasps but it's obvious he's fighting back his laughter.

"You're crazy."

"Aria, just hear me out. You look eighteen at most. You'll fit right in."

"I won't actually. If I caused such a problem, high school won't help. I don't want to make friends."

"Aria," Damon says, taking my hand, "he's right."

"Since when are you on his side?"

"You need to fit in here. This isn't 1940. This isn't the same Mystic Falls you grew up in."

I pull my hand away and take a few steps from them both, "So let me get this straight. I have to go sit in a classroom eight hours a day and listen to humans talk about things that I've lived through like they know everything. Then I have to come home, do homework and then do it all over again the next day."

"It doesn't have to be so depressing. We can forge your records like we did mine then compel the staff at the school not to ask questions, but we cannot compel an entire town to stay silent."

"So what happens when someone pisses me off?"

"You stay calm. I'll try my best to get you put in my classes. It's one year."

"This isn't fair."

I walk away, trying my best to control my anger.

"So are you going to do it?"

"I don't have any other choice, do I?"

…

So I am forced into the mundane activity of high school. Classes start about two weeks after the initial conversation. As I walk from class to class, I look around me at the faces of these people. They have no idea what their futures hold for them and I have to live this agony. Even lunch time is frustrating, from the football players flirting with me to the cheerleaders laughing at me.

"Oh look the new girl is sitting by herself?"

"Isn't she dating Stefan's brother?"

Blah. Blah. Blah. All I can think is how quickly I put an end to their meaningless little lives. I push my food around on my plate with my fork. The longer I watch the students around me, the more I want to punch Stefan and Damon for making me do this. The entire half hour goes by like this. I finish the day without saying much. Once it's over, I'm just happy I took my own car and didn't ride with Stefan.

I make it back to the house in record time. Damon isn't home, which is okay with me. I didn't want him to see me cry. I shut myself in the bedroom, throwing my bag to the floor. I sit in the center of the bed and the tears just start to fall. I can't even begin to understand the thoughts going through my head.

There's a soft knock on the door. I hear it open but I don't look up. The weight on the bed shifts. I look over to see Stefan sitting there, watching me.

"How are you holding up?"

"I told you I didn't want to go."

He sighs, "It's not that bad."

"It was easier in 1940."

"You mean when everyone expected you to become a housewife?"

"I was never going to be a housewife, but I've already done the school thing."

"I thought the same thing. Everything is different now."

"The people are the same." I mutter.

Laughter echoes through my memory. I remember those girls, the way they watched me and laughed at me.

"Just give it a chance."

"I'm giving it a chance. I did what you wanted. I don't want to go back, Stefan. I hear the things they say about me. I showed up here out of nowhere and moved right into your house. Do you even know what they think? It's no better than the rumors spread about me when I first lived in this town."

He sighs, "You're not like you used to be."

"What are you talking about?"

"When I first met you, the things other people thought didn't matter. Now you're sitting here in tears because of some things stupid people said and did. Why does it matter what they think?"

"It doesn't."

"Then why cry about it?"

"It's not about how they made me feel. The thoughts that went through my head reminded me of who I was."

"What do you mean?"

"Forget it." I get off the bed, kicking my shoes off, "I'll be outside."

I leave the house quickly, running into the thick expanse of trees. I stop every few feet, searching for the perfect one. When I finally find a tree I can get a hold on, I climb. I stop about half way up. I find a branch to sit on and lean against the rough bark of the tree trunk. I close my eyes and listen to the world around me, breathing in the scent of pine carried on the breeze.

I'm unaware of how much time passes. I hear a rustling in the branches below me.

"What are you doing up here?"

"Running. Maybe I'm hiding. I don't know."

"You should come down."

"No."

"Please."

"Nope."

"Will you at least tell me why you're hiding?"

I smile and open my eyes, but I don't look at him, "In 1940, I moved into this house with you and your brother. Not even two weeks later, there were rumors being spread about us. I heard those same rumors today but instead of coming from disgruntled housewives, they were spilling from the mouths of obnoxious teenage girls." Finally, I look over at him, "I don't want to go back there, Damon."

"You're ready to quit already? That doesn't sound like the Aria I know."

"When I did all of this the first time, quitting wasn't an option. I'm out of my element here. I don't belong here."

"We want you to belong here. You just have to give it a try, make some friends."

"Making friends was never my strong suit."

He steps across the branches and sits next to me, "You're stronger than this, you know?"

"Am I?"

"Listen to you." He puts his hand on my thigh and lays his head on my shoulder, "You don't sound like yourself. You're not like you used to be."

Remembering Stefan's words, I smile and say, "What do you mean?"

He lifts his head up before reaching over to move my hair to the side, "When we first met, you were all about getting what you wanted. You never took 'no' for an answer. There was also no such thing as you feeling defeated or out of place. The things people said about you mattered less than the people themselves."

"I had less to worry about then. I feel like the people here are looking at me like they're not expecting me to last long."

"Then prove them wrong. I know fitting in can be hard when you want to kill everyone you meet, but it gets easier."

"I don't know if I can take a whole year of this."

"You can do this."

"I need a drink."

He takes my hands, "Aria, I'm only saying this because I love you. I think you have a drinking problem."

"Look who's talking."

Shaking my head, I make my way back down to the ground. By the time Damon makes it inside, I'm already pouring myself a drink.

"You should really go easy on that stuff. You wouldn't want someone to take advantage of you."

"It'll take a lot more than a little whiskey to get me drunk."

I pick up my glass and move to sit on the couch. Damon sits next to me, watching me as I take small sips from my drink. I watch his hand move to my thigh and I can feel him getting closer to me.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

He takes my glass and sets it on the table.

I scoff and look at him, "I wasn't done with that."

"You won't need it. I can take your mind off things."

I roll my eyes when he winks, that same inviting yet entirely mischievous grin appearing on his face. He touches my face ever so lightly, coaxing me into kissing him. Though I hesitate at first, I kiss him and he wastes no time pulling me onto his lap. I can't help but chuckle when he starts kissing my neck.

"Damon."

He only hums in response.

"I don't think so."

He stops, pulling away to look me in the eye, "What do you mean?"

"I am so far from in the mood it's laughable."

I remove myself from his arms and his lap before standing up. I grab my glass and down the last of the liquid inside before walking away. I know he's watching me as I walk to the stairs. I drop my foot on the bottom step and look at him.

"You have five minutes to change my mind."

Next thing I know, my back is against the wood of our bedroom door. Our bodies are so close we could be one person. After a few minutes, I begin to feel constricted, like my clothes are a part of me instead of some easily removable pieces of fabric.

Needless to say, we both lost another set of clothes to our impatience, along with several hours of sleep.

…

I throw my hand out, trying to find my cell phone to shut off the alarm. I have very little motivation to actually get up or even open my eyes. Finally, I find it and nearly blind myself when the light hits my eyes. I shut off the alarm and put my phone back on the nightstand. The light coming through the window is faint but I can still see Damon's face clearly. I move closer to his side. He wraps his arm around me.

"Shouldn't you be getting up?"

"I don't think so."

"You have school."

I groan and pull the cover over my head.

"Come on." He says, pulling the cover away, "I'll drive you."

"I don't need you to drive me."

"If I drive you, I can pick you up. It'll be another chance to dangle me in front of those people and you love doing that."

That is true. When I was signing up for classes, I forced him to come with me just because I wanted everyone in this town to understand something. Damon Salvatore is mine and I have no problem showing it. I don't fight for people but I'm perfectly fine reminding everyone else of the circumstances.

"Do I have to go?"

"Yes."

"Can you bring me lunch?"

"I guess so."

"Will you eat with me?"

"If I have to."

I scoff and sit up, throwing my pillow over his face.

Getting out of bed, I say, "Well don't feel obligated or anything. It's only your fault that I have to be there."

He lifts the pillow up and says, "How long are you going to guilt trip me?"

"Until I feel like you've had enough."

He drops the pillow back on his face, causing his next statement to be muffled, "Well I can assure you I have had enough."

"It doesn't matter what you think."

His groan is muffled by the pillow. After I clip my bra behind my back and pull on some underwear, I crawl onto the foot of the bed. He lifts the pillow up just a little and peeks out at me. As I crawl toward him, he hides his smile behind the pillow. I place a kiss just above his belly button, the first inch of bare skin not covered by the sheet.

"What are you doing?"

I smile and place a couple more kisses on his chest, "Nothing."

He tosses the pillow to the side, "It's only the second day. I can't let you stay home."

"Come on." I sit low on his stomach and run my hands up his chest, "I can do this all day."

I lean forward, laying my forehead against his shoulder. His hands move gently down my back. I turn my head and look at him. I kiss his cheek before hiding my face in the side of his neck.

"I would do anything to be able to stay like this all day."

"Just say the word and I won't go anywhere."

He lifts his head and kisses my shoulder, "I can't do that, love. We made promises and we have to keep them."

"But I don't want to!"

"How about, instead of just bringing you lunch, I kidnap you."

"What are we going to do?"

"What do you want to do?"

"This."

I smile and sit up just enough to be able to kiss him. The longer we kiss, the deeper it gets. One of his arms tightens around me. As his other hand touches my cheek, he turns us, laying me on my back. Just by the way he touches me, I know he's giving in to my demands. Just as he unhooks to clasps of my bra, there are three knocks on the door.

"Aria, let's go!"

Damon and I groan at the same time. He kisses me one more time before letting me up. I get dressed quickly. Stefan is still standing outside the door when I open it.

"What do you want?"

"We're going to be late."

"No, you're going to be late. I'll get there when I get there."

When I push past him, he grabs my arm, "We had an agreement."

"I know." I snatch my arm back, "No one around here will let me forget it."

"You don't have to be here. Now that I think about it, why did you come back?"

"Stefan, stop!" Damon yells.

"No, Damon, it's okay. He's right. I don't have to be here."

I turn away and make my way down the stairs. I can hear Damon calling after me but I don't stop. As I walk past the table by the door, I grab my keys. I throw open the front door and walk to my car. I pull the door handle and get in. I'm shaking as I try to put the key in the ignition. I glance at the front door, a single tear falling down my cheek. Damon is standing there. His chest is still bare and in my head, I see us just moments ago. We were happy.

"Aria, wait!"

I shake my head and drive away as fast as I can, leaving him behind. I can hear him calling my name, despair obvious in his voice. I drive to the edge of town, stopping on the bridge. I shut off the car and lay my head on the steering wheel.

"You're so stupid… Why did you run? Why do you always run?"

Then I break down.

****DAMON****

I try chasing her but I'm too late. I watch her drive way. Seeing her leave, it hurt worse than coming home to find her gone. I watch the road, hoping she'll come back. Stefan's hand comes down on my shoulder and I can feel my anger rising up.

"Maybe it's for the best." He says.

I turn to face him. I can't help myself nor can I stop myself from punching him in his face. He hits the ground the moment my fist makes contact with his cheek.

"What the hell was that?" I yell.

"She didn't need to be here."

"Who are you to decide what she needs? She was happy, happier in these last two weeks than I have ever seen her." Then it hits me, "Did you tell her to leave before?"

He finally gets to his feet, "She's bad for you. She's always been bad for you. When she told me her secret, I convinced her it would crush you. I'm not the bad guy here."

"You're not the good guy either. She's the best thing that ever happened to me, and I'm going to go get her."

He tries to stop me when I run back into the house to get my shoes and a shirt. I take my car keys from the table and go back outside.

"Why are you doing this, Damon? She was so ready to run."

"She didn't run. You drove her away. I didn't go after her last time and I nearly lost her. I'm not going to do that again."

"Damon!"

"Don't you have to get to school?"

I drive away as fast as I can, following her path. The closer I get to the edge of town to more hope I lose. What if she's already gone? What if I can't find her?

I forget all my doubts when I catch sight of her car on the bridge.

****ARIA****

Tears fall profusely. My sobs are soft but they echo in my ears anyway. I feel a gentle caress on my back. I recognize that touch. I look over to see him sitting there.

"What are you doing here?"

"Did you honestly think I was going to let you get away again?" He jumps out of the car and comes around to my side, opening the door for me, "Let's take a walk. We need to have a long talk."

When he offers me his hand, I hesitate.

"Come on. It'll be okay."

I take his hand and he wastes no time intertwining his fingers with mine. He leads me down the hill to the riverside. We walk along the water in silence for only moment.

"What exactly do we need to talk about?"

"Let's start at the beginning. I want the truth, Aria, the whole truth."

"I told you the truth."

"But you didn't tell me everything." He sighs, "What happened with Stefan before you left?"

"I told him my secrets, everything. I wasn't ready to tell you but I couldn't keep it to myself anymore. He decided to use it against me. He convinced me that leaving was what was best for you. He said I was bad for you."

"Where did he ever get that idea? Why would you believe him?"

"You were willing to give up everything for me and I just didn't think it was right. I wanted you to make something of yourself before you let everything go."

"You didn't have to leave. I could have made something of myself with you by my side."

"I knew you'd say something like that. That's why I left before you could stop me."

"Why do you keep running from me?"

"I get scared. Sometimes it seems like running is my only option. My fight or flight response is heavily weighted toward flight."

"You don't have to run. I'm here. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

He stops walking and turns me to face him, taking my face in his hands, "Don't guess. Don't tell me what you think. I want you to tell me what you know, what you feel."

"I know you're here for me. Judging by today, I know you're not going to let me run anymore. I know I love you and I want nothing more than to be here with you. I feel like Stefan hates me and he forced me to go to school so he could keep an eye on me. I feel like he's trying to drive a wedge between us and I'm scared it's going to work."

"Nothing and no one, not even my own brother, can break me away from you. You're right. I will never let you go. I'm going to get you out of that school and we're going to go somewhere. We're going to live our lives."

"Why are you doing this? He's your brother."

"That's true. I love my brother. You, Aria, you are the love of my life and no matter how much I love my brother, he can't change that."

I nod and smile. He smiles and kisses me, his hands moving to my waist. He pulls me against him, just holding onto me.

"I'll never let you go again." He whispers before kissing the top of my head.


	4. If It's Not One Thing, It's Another

Damon and I go back home. After he parks his car, he runs over to me just as I'm getting out of mine. He takes my keys from my hands.

"What are you doing?"

"Go get your books."

"But you said_"

"I know what I said. Just go get your books."

Glaring at him, I open my mouth to speak but decide against it. I go into the house and grab every single one of my textbooks. When I walk back outside, I see Damon sitting my car, tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel and bobbing his head to whatever is on the radio. I shake my head as I walk over, dropping the books behind the passenger seat. I open the passenger door and take my seat, looking over at him.

"So where are we going?"

"To the school."

"But_"

"Just trust me."

He winks and blows me a kiss before driving away. I want to question him further but I just sit back and enjoy the ride.

…

It's only midday when we reach the school; we spent so much time by the river. From what I can see, just about everyone is outside for lunch. I manage to catch sight of Stefan. Damon has to catch me when I unknowingly begin walk in his direction.

"Calm yourself, love." He whispers, "We'll deal with him later."

I nod but I don't look away from Stefan and his friends. I can hear Damon grabbing the books just before he takes my hand. He pulls me into the building, eventually forcing me to look away. He leads me to the front office and slams the stack of books on the counter.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asks.

"Yes, I am here to take her," he says, pointing at me, "out of this school."

"And why is that?"

"We're moving."

"Didn't she just enroll? It's the second day of school."

"We know." He leans on the counter, locking his gaze with hers.

I smile. I know what he's doing.

"You see something came up and she can't attend classes anymore."

"Of course."

She blinks and starts typing something into the computer. A couple of papers are printed. She staples them together and gives them to me.

"Take this and the books to the guidance counselor and she'll take care of everything."

Damon smiles and winks, "Thank you."

He picks up the stack of books and takes my hand. He pulls me out into the hallway and looks both ways.

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?"

"Not a clue."

I roll my eyes, "Come on."

I lead him down the hall to the counselor's office. We don't have to say much once we give her the papers. She takes the books from us and sends us on our way.

"Well that was easy." Damon says as we make our way toward the front door.

"What were you expecting, Damon? It's the second day." I sigh when we reach the car, "So what now?"

"I told you. We're going to go somewhere for a while. We'll come back eventually."

"But where are we going to go?"

"Wherever you want to go."

"I have an apartment in New York."

"Seriously? How to get that? Same way you got the car?"

"No, I worked a legitimate job for a while. When I left the city, I just managed to get the landlord to let me keep it."

"So it is the same way you got the car?"

"Essentially."

He smiles, "I guess we're going to New York then."

"Who's going to New York?"

It takes every ounce of my self-control not to turn around and slap him in the face. When I turn around, Damon wraps his arms around me, holding my arms at my sides.

"We're going on a little trip." Damon says, his breath on my neck.

"That's not possible. If she's staying, she has to go to school. That was the deal."

"You know what Stefan, you have some nerve. Who are you to tell me how to live my life? At first, I agreed to this because Damon wanted me to. You can't tell me what to do and neither can he. As of now, our deal is null and void on the grounds that you're a dick."

"Besides, we're not staying. We'll be gone by the end of the week."

Damon tries pulling me away but I'm not letting Stefan off that easy.

"Can you just explain to me why this is so important to you? Why do I need to go to school and stop drinking in public? Just because you chose this mundane way of living doesn't mean I have to. Maybe you're just mad that you can't control and manipulate me like the rest of these people. I know you Stefan. I know the real you, just like I know the real Damon."

"If you know me, then my by all means tell me what it is you know."

"I know you try so hard to fit in because you're afraid of being left alone. You tricked me, talked me into leaving Damon behind all those years ago because you thought I was taking him away from you. You try to act innocent, like you're some kind of gentleman but it's an act. Now that I think about it, the way this town sees you is the way Damon is behind closed doors. The way this town sees Damon, well that's you, hands down." I look into Stefan's eyes; I want to make sure he hears this next part, "I was never going to take Damon from you. He's your brother and I would never dream of coming in between the two of you. It may seem the opposite because I was with you first. I wanted to love you in the beginning, Stefan, but I had a choice to make. I had to either love you because you wanted me to or love him because I needed to. Don't you see, Stefan? I needed Damon and he needed me. You didn't need me. You wanted me." I take a step toward him, pulling out of Damon's arms, "After I found that picture of Katherine, I figured something out."

"And what was that?"

"You still hadn't given her up, not completely. It was her you were yearning for and I like to think I was a fine substitute. I didn't want to be your distraction and I was Damon's main focus."

"If you had just given me more time…"

I look back Damon, who moves away from me to get in the car.

I lower my voice just a little and meet Stefan's eyes, "I gave you six months. How long were you expecting me to wait?"

"You tried to make me choose, didn't you?"

"If you loved me the way you said you did, it wouldn't have been the ultimatum it ended up being. I asked you to burn that picture and you refused, even after I told you why I wanted you to get rid of it. What was I supposed to do, Stefan? I was only human."

He doesn't say anything. By the look on his face, he's looking for the right words. I don't wait.

"You know, Damon got rid of everything. Anything that reminded him of her, we burned it together and it made us stronger. I didn't even have to ask. You wouldn't even burn a picture for me, one picture. No matter what you say, you weren't ready to love me. Damon was ready to give up everything, to give me everything." I sigh, "I know everything you've done is to protect your brother, but you don't have to protect him from me. Besides, he's a grown man. He can take care of himself."

I don't give him time to speak. I get into the passenger seat. Damon starts the car and drives away, leaving Stefan there looking a little more than bewildered.

"Well that was awkward." Damon mutters, taking my hand.

"I'm hungry."

"Vampire hungry or_"

"Do you really have to ask? Let's go to the next town. I'm tired of blood bags."

"We can go to a college party."

"Whitmore?"

He nods and smiles. I kiss his cheek and lean back in my seat.

"Don't get so excited."

"Why not? I can drink all I want to. I can do whatever I want to."

"Tonight, we both shall be free to do as we please," he pauses, "on one condition."

"Condition? What is it?"

"If any of those college boys gets a little too close, you let me know."

"Yeah well same to you, mister." He chuckles so I bend his thumb back, "I'm serious. I don't want to have to kill anyone."

"I think you broke my thumb."

"You'll be fine."

"Put it back!"

"Fine!"

I pop his thumb back into place, his hand tensing in mine, "Now kiss it." he mutters.

I roll my eyes and kiss his hand, right at his knuckle, "Better?"

"Yes."

"You're such a punk."

"I am not."

I lean away from him, trying my best not to laugh too hard. He doesn't say anything else. I sigh and lean back in the seat, watching Mystic Falls pass me by. The drive is quiet aside from the music coming softly from the speakers. When Damon starts to sing along, I smile and look at him. He glances over at me and stops singing.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm just sitting here listening to you sing your little heart out."

"Oh."

He smiles, lifting my hand to his lips. He kisses the back of my hand before sighing.

"Are you okay?" I ask, moving our hands to my lap.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about all of this."

"You want to talk about?"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"You're the one with the problem."

"Aria, there's something going on with you."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Don't do that."

"Do what, Damon?"

"Don't treat me like I'm stupid. I notice more than you think I do and I know you, Aria, the same way you know me. You have never been one to get angry, not really. We fought a lot in the beginning but you never stayed mad. Now when we fight, it's like you want nothing to do with me afterward. Maybe it was the way you stared down Stefan when we went to school or how I had to hold you back when he stopped us."

"I wanted to kill him, Damon. I'm sure I would have been able to. It was a whole new experience for me, being so angry. I felt the same way yesterday, sitting there alone at lunch. I felt like I could kill every single one of those kids and not look back. It was like my humanity was off all over again." I look to the horizon for a moment and back at him, "Then I thought about how you would feel if I did that. Then you touched me and it brought me back. Then when Stefan said it, I decided that leaving was my only option. I figured it would free you from having to deal with me and my bullshit. Then I could go back to what I was doing before. You just wouldn't let me leave."

He pulls his hand away from me. The expression on his face is almost angry. He pulls the car over and stops. I watch him get out of the car and come around to my side. He opens my door and waits. I get out of the car slowly, watching his every move. He slams the door shut and grabs me by my shoulders.

"Never think for one second that leaving is the only solution. I will chase you to the ends of the earth if I have to. I should have done that the first time. I didn't and you got away. Never again, do you hear me? Never again will I let that happen. Damn it, Aria, do you not see what you mean to me? You said it yourself. I gave up everything for you because I loved you then, just like I love you now. Why is it so hard for you to see that?"

"I see that, Damon. I do, but nothing is going to stop me from thinking that you're better off without me."

"What I'm about to say might change your mind on that." He sighs, "I fell off the deep end when I finally stopped looking for you. I didn't know how to handle it so I shut off my humanity and I went out to parties. I would drunk and just feed. There were times I thought I could stop but I didn't. I kept seeing your face and I would break down and do it all over again. I was unstable. I was a monster. I assumed turning my humanity off meant I wouldn't care anymore. I thought I wouldn't hurt anymore but I was wrong because when I finally had to turn it back on, I cared too much. I would think about the day I came home to find you gone and I would break down. I finally turned it off again and then I didn't care. I didn't care about anything, not Stefan and not you." He sighs again but smiles this time, "I get it now. You carry my humanity with you. I literally need you to stay sane." He wipes away the tear that falls from my eye, "Why are you crying?"

"I can't help it. It's when you talk like that. I think about the day we met, the day we had our first kiss. Most of all, I think about the first time you told me that you loved me. We were only together a year before you left. I went with you that day and you kissed me and said it. I didn't want you to. I wanted you to leave without saying it so while you were gone, I couldn't miss you as much. But you said it and every day without broke my heart. Then you were home again and everything happened so fast. I had my secrets and you were just as perfect as ever. I didn't know what to do. After you turned and I told Stefan everything, I needed to run and I did. I didn't want that to happen. I didn't want it to be like this. Every day I looked at you and I felt so guilty."

"You didn't need to feel that way! None of that was your fault."

"Then look what I did. I caused you to kill. I killed so much. I turned us into monsters. All because I was ashamed, I broke the only rule I had for myself. I wasn't going to let what happened change me and it did, more than I'd care to admit."

"None of that matters now. You're here and this time, I'm not going to let you run away from me. I'm not going to let you keep secrets from me. I'm not going to let my brother run you out of town. You are my first priority. So we're go to Whitmore. We're going to find a party and leave all of this behind for a while."

I smile, "Let's go."

He kisses me once and smiles, "I love you."

"I love you."

We get back into the car and Damon quickly pulls the car back onto the road.

…

It's too early to go to the college campus so we spend some time around town, doing a little shopping for our trip. Once the sun is down, we make our way to the campus. I watch the students. Some carry books. I catch sight of a small group of girls, each of them dressed a little skimpier than the last.

"Do you see what I see?" Damon whispers.

"I see some girls on their way to a party."

"Let's go."

We follow behind the girls at a safe distance. They lead us to a fraternity house already overflowing with people.

"How are we going to get inside?" Damon asks, placing his hand at the small of my back.

I look around and manage to find a boy who happens to be wearing a jacket with the same letters as the house.

"Leave it to me." I say, leaving Damon standing there.

As I walk over, I pull my skirt up a little higher and my shirt a little lower. I toss my hair a bit and put on my sexiest smile. I keep my eyes locked on him. The guy he's talking to points at me and walks away as the frat boy turns to look at me. He smiles and takes a big gulp from his cup.

"Hey," I say, keeping my smile, "this is a great party."

"It's just getting started. Are you new here?"

"Not exactly. Why do you ask?"

"I think I would remember you otherwise."

"I was thinking about transferring. I heard about the party from my friend over there. I thought I'd check it out."

"I'm glad you did. I'm Derek."

"I'm Aria." I put my hands on my hips and toss my hair, "So where can a girl get a drink around here?"

"Inside." He offers me his arm, "Come on, I'll show you."

"Cool." I take his arm. As he starts to lead me to the door, I suddenly stop, "I need to grab my friend. I promised I wouldn't leave him alone."

"I'll be right here."

I smile and run to grab Damon. When I grab his hand and try to pull him with him, he doesn't budge.

"You are good." He mutters.

"Come on."

He takes a few steps forward, "How many times have you done this?"

"A few, just come on."

"Did you at least compel him?"

"Yeah but not with my mind."

Finally I get Damon over to Derek.

"This is Damon." I say, taking Derek's hand.

"Nice to meet you, dude. The name's Derek." When Damon says nothing and doesn't shake his hand, Derek says, "Let's get you two a drink."

He leads us right in. I breathe a sigh of relief, as does Damon. Derek leads us to the kitchen area. Damon gets himself a drink while Derek pours mine.

"Let's dance."

"Sure." I smile, "Damon, will you be alright by yourself for a while?"

"I'll manage."

As Derek leads me to the dance floor, I glance back at Damon. He grins and nods. I drink slowly from the red cup in my hands as we dance to the club music that surrounds us, echoing in my ears. Derek pulls me closer, moving against me in a way only Damon had before. I pretend to enjoy it. When his gaze finally meets mine, I do my best to hold it there as I begin to speak.

"You won't speak. You won't make a sound until I say. Don't worry. You'll enjoy this."

I pull on his collar, moving the fabric from his shoulder. Even after my teeth pierce his flesh, he moans softly. I drink from him for a while. When I stop, I move his shirt back into place and take his hand, looking into his eyes again.

"Come with me."

He nods and follows behind me. I find an empty room and shut the door behind us. I bite my wrist and let my blood fall into the empty cup in his hands.

"Drink that."

Hesitantly, his raises the cup to his lips and drinks it down. I bare the wound again, watching as it heals. I meet his gaze one last time.

"You got me a drink and we danced. Nothing else happened but we had a great time."

He nods.

"You're free to speak now."

"Okay."

"Now go back to the party."

I take the cup from his hands before he leaves the room. I put some more of my blood in the cup before going back into the party. I look around and when I finally find Damon, he has some girl's arms wrapped around him; they're against a wall. I roll my eyes and put on my angry face. I walk over and grab his collar, pulling him away from her.

"What do you think you're doing?" I yell at her.

"Aria, what are you doing here?"

"I'll deal with you in a minute!" I say, turning to him.

I turn back to her and look into her eyes, "Drink this."

She takes the cup from me and drinks it to the last drop. Once her throat begins to heal, I meet her gaze again.

"We got into argument and you left the party. Now go home."

She nods and leaves. I turn back to Damon and smile.

"What's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem. I needed people to think we argued since that's what she now believes."

He pulls me into his arms and smiles, "You said you've done this a few times."

"Mhm."

"How many times is a few?"

I kiss him and smile, "Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to."

"Is it that bad?"

"Seriously. Don't ask."

I walk away but he follows, continuing to ask for the answer. We push through the crowd and back to the front door.

"Can you at least give me a minimum?"

I sigh, "Twelve minimum."

"That's not a few!"

"I told you not to ask. Maybe next time you'll listen."

I look around outside, trying to catch that scent on the wind again.

"Aria, what are you looking for?"

Beneath a light on the pathway that divides the courtyard from the front lawn of the frat house, I see a man. He's blond, his eyes shine blue in the light.

"Augustine…" I whisper.

"What?"

"Nothing. We have to go."

I take his hand and pull him back through the party. We leave through the backdoor. I watch my surroundings as we head back toward the city, back to the car. I stop once we're close; Damon stops with me. I reach into his pocket and take the car keys. I waste no time. I run to the car and jump in. I start it, rolling up the windows and putting the top up. Damon gets into the passenger seat. I can feel his eyes on me as I drive away.

After about twenty minutes of silence, he finally speaks.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You looks scared back there, like you were running from something."

"Nope."

"Aria."

I glance at him for only a moment before looking back to the road. There are no other cars on the road. This is as good a place as any. I pull over and turn off the car. I turn to face Damon, meeting his gaze steadily.

"Damon, there's something you need to know."


	5. More Truths and a Bit of Revenge

He won't let me tell him in the car. It's a ten hour drive. There's so much tension between us that I'm pretty sure I luck out when Damon falls asleep. I try my best to stay calm when I catch sight of the city skyline in the distance. The sun is only beginning to rise when I reach the apartment complex. I turn off the car and face Damon. He looks so peaceful. I want to let him have this bit of solace before I tell him yet another dark truth from my past.

I reach into the glove box, finding a piece of scrap paper and a pen. I write down the apartment number. Then I open the little coin tray and take out the extra key. I put the note and the key in the cup holder with his cell phone. I get out of the car as quietly as I can. Once I'm in the elevator, I take the opportunity to catch my breath. The elevator door opens and when I step out, I see a familiar face.

"Aria, is that you?"

I nervously scratch my neck, "Yeah, it's me."

"What are you doing here? How have you been?"

"I've been good. I'm going on another road trip. I'm just stopping in for a while."

"Oh well, we should do something while you're here. I'd love to catch up."

"Yeah, look Michael, let's not pretend we're friends."

His smile fades and he steps closer to me, "I'm watching you, Aria. I nearly killed you once. Don't give me a reason to try again."

"I'm stronger now and I'm not alone. I could rip your heart out and no one would know you're gone."

"Give it your best shot."

I watch him get into the elevator before I open the door to my apartment. I shut and lock the door behind me.

"I'm going to kill him this time."

I throw my keys onto the table by the door and walk over to the couch. I drop onto the soft cushion and close my eyes. I listen to the world around me and in the silence the room, I can hear the city waking up. I sigh and get up from the couch. I walk through the bedroom to the bathroom, removing my clothes as I do. I turn on the shower and step under the water once it's warm enough. Over the sound of the water, I hear the front door open.

He doesn't say anything. I can hear him moving through the apartment. Eventually, the bathroom door opens. He stands in front of the shower door so I turn my back to him. I can hear him sigh and he walks away. After a few minutes, the shower door opens and his hands touch my waist. He pulls me closer to him, kissing my shoulders and my neck. I turn to face him, wrapping my arms around him and putting my head against his chest.

"You're not mad?"

"I have nothing to be mad about. You just worry me. I want you to tell me everything but you're still hiding things from me. How can I trust you when everywhere we go, there's another secret?"

"Damon, my past is dark. There things I forget until I'm forced to relive them. I'll tell you everything, including the secret I keep in regards to this place. For now, I need you to trust me. Damon, please, just trust me."

He moves one of his hands to my face, caressing my cheek with his thumb. He touches his forehead against mine and closes his eyes.

"I trust you."

Slowly, he moves to kiss me. Our lips touch again and again. With each kiss, it's like I can feel his anxieties. The water falls against us as my back touches the shower wall. He starts to kiss my neck again as he lifts me up. Something about this is different than ever before. We're both anxious. We're both upset. The way he touches me, the way he moves against, is gentler. It almost feels like he's trying to channel his love, his trust, into every movement. Even when the water begins to run cold, I don't want to let him go, but eventually we have to stop. I shut off the water as he steps out. He wraps a towel around his waist and gives me the robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door.

"Let's talk." He says, offering me his hand.

I nod and take his hand. We go into the bedroom. We lean against the pillows on the bed. He holds me close to his side and sighs, waiting for me to start talking.

"Years after I tracked that guy and killed him, when I came back to the states, I was approached by a woman who said she had been looking for someone like me. I would have been home much sooner but I didn't know what she wanted me for. She injected me with Vervain and I lost consciousness. It was like the Vervain was stronger, like a drug instead a simple herb. I woke up in a place I didn't recognize, bound to a table with a constant stream of Vervain running into my body. Five years ago, I broke free. I was weak. I was hungry and my humanity was long gone. That was when I killed that family."

"What did they do to you?"

"I was as close to a brand new vampire as they could get at the time. They wanted to test my ability to regenerate, to heal, to find out if it was different from that of an older vampire. They wanted to find out how long I could go without feeding. There were branches all over the country. When I was free and my humanity was back, I tracked down a few of them. The last one is beneath Whitmore House. When we were at the party, I saw their scientist. That's why I ran, why I wanted to leave. These people, this Augustine Society, they torture our kind for the hell of it but they claim they're just trying to learn more about us."

"Did you say Augustine?"

"Yeah."

"In 1953, I was held captive by the group at Whitmore house. I was there for five years and I started hunting them too. If I had known, I could have helped you. I wanted to give up my humanity in that place but I kept holding onto you and Stefan. I hoped but in the end I had to shut it off. I killed everyone I could get my hands on the night they debuted their discovery. I left a friend to die."

"You were responsible for that fire."

"Yeah, the place burned and I lost my mind."

"You were lucky. I was locked in a cage for fifty-one years."

"That's almost the whole time we were separated."

"Yeah, I know. I left Mystic Falls in, what, 1948? I traveled until 1954, or somewhere around there. I was captured in late 1955. I broke free in 2006. It's 2011 now."

"How did you get free?"

"I was their only subject at the time. For a long time, I wondered how they could have forgotten to hook up my IV. I could feel the Vervain leaving my system every time I bled. The doctor went to pull one of my teeth out. I bit his finger off. The blood I took in gave me enough strength to break my restraints. I tore him to pieces. I tore them all to pieces. Eventually I learned, the original I had met in California had followed me. He was the reason I was able to break free. I don't know how he did it but he did."

"But how did you get to Louisiana from here?"

"I just kept walking. I was afraid to stop." He holds me a little tighter and I continue, "I was only in California for a few months. He told me that if I ever needed anything to find my way to New Orleans, that I could find others like me there. I wanted to find you but I wasn't strong enough."

"I wish I had known."

"I know. I was free after you were taken. If I had never left maybe neither one of us would have been caught in that mess."

"We're free now and we're together. That's all that matters."

"Well there's one more thing."

"It can't be worse than Augustine."

"No, it's just a little closer."

"What do you mean?"

"There's a hunter that lives down the hall. We hooked up a couple times a few years ago and he tried to kill me. We ran into each other after we got here and he threatened me. I have every intention of killing him."

"Is that all? I'll help you kill him."

"And that is why I love you."

"Wait. That's why you love me? Because I'll help you kill someone?"

"That's not the only reason."

"Then by all means, enlighten me."

I scoff, "No."

"But why?" he whines.

"You have a big enough ego without my help."

"It's not about my ego. I want to know why you love me."

I smile, lifting my hand to push his hair from his face, "It's really rather simple. I love you because you love me."

He smiles but it quickly fades, "I don't understand."

"You'll figure it out."

When I try to pull away from him, he grabs me and holds me even tighter, "Just tell me."

"That night in the bar, you kept watching me. I watched you turn down girls one after another. Even while I was dancing with Stefan, you kept watching me. Then I show up out of the blue one day and still you're waiting for me to choose you."

"It took you long enough."

"Oh shut up."

He laughs before kissing me, "So what do you want to do today?"

"Right now I kind of just want to sleep. It was a long drive."

"I offered to drive. You should have let me."

"I needed the time to think. I thought about waking you up, but you were so cute when you were sleeping. I just couldn't."

"Hey! I am not cute."

"Yeah whatever."

I roll over, facing away from him. I expect him to say something but he stays silent. After a few moments, his arm reaches around me and his hold tightens, pulling me closer. The warmth of his breath on my neck, I close my eyes and as I begin to drift off to sleep, I hear his whispered words.

"I love you, Aria, and I'm sorry I didn't save you. I'm sorry I let my brother drive us apart."

As he continues to speak, I open my eyes and listen.

"I made so many mistakes before and after the war. I could tell there was something different about you when I got back but I credited it to my paranoia. Maybe things could have been different had I just asked you then. Even though you probably wouldn't have told me, I still should have asked. I'm pretty sure I've said this already but you didn't have to go through that alone. I'm glad you're opening up to me now." He kisses the back of my neck, "This is different. Being without you for so long, I went to a place where there was no love. Now look at me. You're falling asleep and all I want is to be next to you. If it were up to me, I would never let you go again. We would stay just like this." He finds my hand, taking it in his, "I never want to love anyone else, and I never want you to love anyone else either."

"Damon, I love you too. Now just stop apologizing. How many times do I have to tell you none of this is your fault? These were my secrets to carry. It was easy to lock it all away because I was alone for so long. It's going to take some time for me to get back to who I used to be."

"Apparently, the only way to get through to you is to look you in the eye and understand. So look at me, Aria, so I can make you understand."

I roll over with a sigh and meet his eyes, "What?"

"I don't need you to be who you used to be. I want you to be who you are now and realize that I am here. Stop trying to be so strong. No one, least of all me, will fault you for letting your feelings out. However, just so we're clear, do you know the things that could have been avoided had all of this happened in the beginning?"

"What do you mean?"

"It should have just been you and me. We should have gone out on our own when I got home but we stayed in that town."

"The secret that made me run away was from before you were home."

"So you wouldn't have told me?"

"I suppose I would have eventually."

"Eventually is enough for me."

"Well now you know so can we drop it?"

"For now but this isn't over."

"Whatever. I'm going to sleep."

"Okay. I'll be in the living room."

He kisses my forehead and gets up from the bed. I watch him walk away. He stops in the doorway and turns around.

"Don't be surprised if you wake up to find out your hunter friend is dead."

"No! He doesn't die unless it's by my hand."

"Yes ma'am. I might go out for a while though."

I yawn and nod my head, "Don't forget the house key and leave my car."

"Got it. I will take the car."

"Damon!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I love you too."

"Don't touch my car!"

I scramble to get out of the bed and run after him. Just as I'm about to jump onto his back, he turns around, catching me as I legs wrap around his body.

"What do you think you're doing?" I ask as he kisses my neck.

"Since you don't seem to be tired anymore, I thought I would take advantage of it."

"Damon Salvatore, you're trying to take advantage of me. It's like I don't even know you anymore."

"I promise it'll be nothing we haven't done a million times."

"Stop exaggerating."

I pull myself out of his arms. Even as I walk away from him, I can feel him watching me. Then he grabs me from behind, lifting me up.

"Put me down."

"Why should I?"

"Because I have an idea of how to kill the hunter."

"Really?"

"Yep. It'll be fun, but you have to put me down or I won't tell you."

He sighs and does as I ask.

"So what's the plan?"

I go into the bedroom and as I get dressed, I explain my plan, "He keeps a key to his apartment above the door. He'll be home from work in a half an hour or so. We're going to wait in his apartment, front door cracked, like something right out of a horror movie. You'll stay hidden for a while. I'll confront him. When you come out, we'll mess with him a little. He keeps a stake under the table by the door. We'll have taken it, along with the rest of them. Then when his back is against the wall, I'll rip his heart out."

"That's diabolical." He mutters, his eyes wide, then he smirks, going on to say, "I love it."

"Then let's go."

When I walk past him, he catches my wrist, "Wait."

"Why?"

He pulls me into his arms and kisses me, "That's why."

I smile and take my wrist out of his grasp, taking his hand in mine, "Let's go."

I lead him from the apartment, looking down the hall as we go.

"Keep watch while I get the key."

He nods as I reach up to find the key. When my fingers touch the cool metal, I smile.

"That predictable son of a bitch."

I unlock the door as quickly as I can, pulling Damn inside with me.

"Okay, hide somewhere. I'll get the stakes."

"I think I'll have a look around." He says, walking slowly around the apartment, "So how were we even able to come in here without him inviting us in?"

"Damon, do you remember when I told you that I compelled the owner of the building to let me keep the room rent free?"

"Yeah, I remember."

As I pull the first stake from its hiding place, I say, "Truth is, I own the building."

I make my way to the living room, removing another stake from behind the TV, a third from under the couch and the last from the kitchen. Any hidden in the bedroom would be out of the question thanks to Damon. I can hear footsteps coming down the hall.

"Damon, I think that's him."

"So?"

"Go hide."

"Okay. Okay, just one kiss before I go."

"No time."

"I won't go without it."

I groan and grab him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him to me and kissing him one good time before sending him on his way.

"You should kiss me like that more often."

"Go and hide."

"I love it when you boss me around."

"Dammit Damon!"

He throws his hands up in surrender and goes into the bedroom to hide. I pick up one of the stakes from the coffee table where I dropped them. I sit on the couch facing the door and wait.

"Who's in there?"

"Look at you, trying to be cautious. Isn't that what nearly got you killed before I left here the last time?"

"Yet I'm still alive."

"Killing you wasn't part of my plan. Why don't you come in, take a seat?"

"How did you even get in here?"

"Oh, Michael, are forgetting who owns this building?"

"But how? This place was around long before you lived in the city?"

"No, you're wrong. In 1950, I came to this city. I ran into a group of men looking for investors for their building. Originally, I owned just a percentage. After a short time, the other investors began to die. The running consensus was a disease that infected everyone at the site when they first broke ground. No one questioned me because I didn't attend."

I watch him inch his way over to the table.

I smile, "Looking for this?" I hold up the stake and watch his eyes grow wide. "You might find that you're quite unarmed."

"Okay, I can't do this anymore."

"Dammit Damon! You ruined it!"

"It's not my fault. You're the one out here talking like a Soprano. Are we mobsters now?"

"Who the hell is this?"

"I'm going to need you to shut up. Aria, we had a plan."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Michael moves to punch Damon, who catches his fist and breaks his wrist. Damon kicks the door shut and puts Michael in a headlock. I walk over to them. I meet Damon's gaze and he smiles.

"Just kill me already. Isn't that what you came here for?"

"Yes but there's something I need to know first."

"And what's that?"

"I saw an Augustine scientist yesterday. Are they coming back?"

"They never left. You can kill us all one by one, but there will always be another out there to replace us."

"That's all I needed to know." I plunge my hand into his chest, gripping his heart in my hand, "I told you I would kill you."

I pull my hand back out, his still beating heart in my hand. I let it fall to the floor before going to the kitchen to clean my hands.

"What about the body, boss?"

"It'll be easy to deal with. I just have to make a call, and don't call me boss."

I walk past him, leaving the apartment and heading back to my own. Of course he follows me and once we're behind closed doors he speaks.

"Seriously, are you a mobster?"

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to."

"Wait, what?"

I pour myself a drink and watch as he tries to understand what my last statement meant.


	6. -A Quick Note From The Author-

Hey everyone!

I know it's been a while since I've updated but I'm working on it. A lot has been going on with my moving back to my college campus and getting everything situated for my first apartment. Hopefully once I'm moved in, I'll be able to get back on schedule.

Thank you to any new favorites and/or followers for both the story and me as an author.

Thank you all for your support and your patience,

The Author.


	7. The Truth Revealed

So originally, I had written something here involving Stefan coming to apologize for everything that happened. However, in the process of transferring files to my laptop, I lost the content of that chapter. Now I had originally planned to just rewrite but I have decided against it. Instead, I will give you a brief summary of what would have transpired, quickly crossing the span of two-ish years.

Stefan and Elena broke up. (Yeah well, we all saw it coming.)

Caroline and Tyler started dating. (He did, however, get her after Matt did.)

A few Originals showed up.

Two of those Originals are dead.

Tyler is a hybrid. (Thanks to one of those Originals.)

Doppelgangers! (Stefan has one too. Who knew?)

Katherine dies (like for good this time) as does her daughter Nadia.

So we're gonna pick it up somewhere around the time the Travelers show their lovely, little, natural-magick-hating selves. This is also very close to Enzo's return.

Oh and Caroline and Aria are friends now. There was big heart-to-heart and… yeah.

…

There's a chance for everything to go back to normal now that all of the ancient witches, original vampires, doppelgangers and outright crazy people are gone. Elena, Caroline and Bonnie are all away for college now. Now that Stefan is home again and Damon and I actually have to show some form of restraint around each other.

It's late one night. Damon hasn't come yet, but this has been happening a lot recently, especially since Enzo showed up. Enzo was, for lack of a better phrase, Damon's cellmate when they were both being held captive by the Augustine Society. Enzo is also very good as ruining someone else's fun. I wanted to be the one to kill the doctor at Whitmore College, but he beat me to it.

Instead of hanging around for him to come home, I decide to go out. I get into my car, starting it and pulling out into the road. The breeze flowing through my hair is warm. Then, the further I get down the road, a new scent joins the constant aroma of fresh air. It smells like blood, fresh blood. I pull my car to the side of the road and shut it off. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to get a feel for where it could be coming from. The trees aren't breaking up the scent so it has to be coming from in front of me; I would have passed it coming down the road.

I get out of the car and run toward the scent instead of craving. Held in the arms of a vampire, Aaron Whitmore takes his last breath.

That leather jacket…

"Damon, what in the hell are you doing?"

He releases Aaron and looks up at me.

"I'm acting like the monster everyone thinks I am."

"Who is everyone, Damon?"

"My brother, Caroline, Bonnie… Elena."

"But not me? If you're a monster, Damon, so am I. Once I broke free from Augustine, I traveled the whole world searching for more of those people. I killed them all. I killed that hunter when we were in New York. When I sneak out at night, I'm feeding on people. Those stupid blood bags do nothing for me. I'm a monster because I need fresh blood. I need the joy of the hunt."

He looks down at Aaron's lifeless body.

"Aria, can I ask you something?"

"Anything?"

"Why did you come back here?"

"I told you when I got here."

"There's more to it. I know it."

"I wanted to find my humanity again. I had turned it off when I left all those years ago. That's why killing was so easy."

"Did you find it?"

"Not yet. I can love you. I can feel some form of grief, but I don't feel guilt. I don't feel pain. Whatever I became when I left you, it's yet to have changed. I'm a monster, Damon, probably more so than you. Killing will never fix us."

"Maybe we shouldn't be together then."

That one sentence is like having my heart torn from my body. Is this what pain feels like?

"What are you saying?"

"It's obvious we're wrong for each other."

"You're lying. I know you're lying because you can't even look at me when you're tearing my heart out. This has nothing to do with me, your brother or anyone else. This is all about Elena." Then it hits me, "You love her, don't you?"

Finally, he looks up at me, tears in those blue eyes.

"Answer me, Damon!"

"Yes! Okay? Is that what you want to hear?"

I stifle my laughter, the laughter that would have otherwise disguised my pain. I nod and meet his gaze.

"Thank you Damon."

"For what?"

"For the first time in sixty years, I know what real pain feels like. By the time you get home, I'll be gone."

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know but someone somewhere will love me and me alone. I thought that was meant to be you but I can see now that I was wrong. All I wanted was to find myself again, for you to remind that I was good to some degree. I guess I'm just not good enough."

I turn away from him and I run back toward my car. When I get there, Stefan is leaning against the trunk. His expression goes cold when he sees me clearly.

"Aria, what happened?"

I can't speak. I walk past him and to the driver's side door. When I try to open the door, he stops me and grabs me by my shoulders, turning me to face him.

"What happened?"

I take in a shaky breath and meet his eyes steadily, "I'm leaving Mystic Falls and I won't be coming back this time."

"What? Why? What about Damon?"

"He's staying here. I ended it with him. I thought I was ready for this semi-realistic existence and I'm not. I need to be on my own for a while, learn some better control."

I've always been a better liar than Damon. Stefan would never hear the truth, at least not from me. I get into the car and drive away, leaving Stefan standing there. I go back to the house to pack my things, which takes me maybe thirty minutes.

With Mystic Falls in my rearview mirror, I can feel my humanity slipping. A few miles outside of the city, I see a guy stranded on the side of the road. It looks like his car has broken down and he has no cell reception. I pull over with every intention of "helping" him.

I compel him to keep his mouth shut. As an added kick for me, I compel him to feel no pain, only pleasure. He moans when I sink my teeth into his neck. His arms are tight around my waist but eventually his arms fall to his sides. I pull away, allowing his body to fall to the ground.

Blood still running down my chin, I get back into my car and I leave the scene.

Where will I go?

He told me if I ever needed anything, I could find help in New Orleans. So that's where I'll go.

…

Okay… so pretty short chapter…

In my mind, I thought this would be longer but I guess not.

This is more or less a starting point for me to pick the story back up. I will try my best to get updates put out sooner. Thanksgiving break is coming up and finals are after that so I should have at least a month's worth of free time. Be patient with me, guys. I'm doing what I can.


	8. Her Epiphany

A quick author's note:

Here it is guys! Chapter 7! I know. I know. Finally right. Here's the rundown of the recent situation that has put this chapter on delay.

College. Classes that take all day and homework that takes more time than I care for

All around exhaustion. I mean it. This pure unadulterated exhaustion.

Other stories. Particularly a collaborative work between me and my roommate.

So just bear with me guys. These chapters may be few and far between, but I'm not letting this one go. It's one of my favorites.

Bourbon Street is alive with the nightlife of New Orleans. Drunk people trip in the sidewalks while their sober friends try to hold them up. Lucky for me, I still have my apartment at the outskirts of the city. I leave my car there and head back for the city. This place is mostly dominated by witches but vampires and werewolves are pretty common as well.

There's only one vampire I want to find and I think I know exactly where he is.

There's a family home just outside of the city. Their mother is buried there. It's the only place I can think Rebekah would want to be.

Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door. Rebekah opens it, smiling at the sight of me.

"Elijah!" She calls out, "I think it's for you."

"What are you talking about, Rebekah?"

He walks into the room with a book in his hand. He stops and looks up from the pages, glancing first at Rebekah and then to me. He smiles, shutting and tossing the book into the other room.

"What are you doing here?"

"I needed to talk to you. I…"

He nods, "I understand. Come inside."

He gestures for me to enter the house, so I do. Rebekah walks off. I stand at the door, my gaze locked with Elijah's.

"Did something happen?"

His question hits me like a punch to the stomach and a single tear falls from my eye before I fall into a hysterical breakdown. I'm in his arms seconds later. He holds me face in his hands, forcing me to look into his eyes.

"I'll get you a drink and then we can talk about it."

I nod, allowing him to lead me into the living room. I sit down next to the fireplace and wait as he pours me a drink. He hands me the glass and sits across from me.

"What happened?"

"Damon loves Elena."

"How do you know this?"

"He told me."

"And you just left him? You didn't even try to fight for him?"

"Why fight? He made his decision."

"Aria, this is not you. I've never known you to lie down in defeat."

"That's just it, Elijah. I'm not lying down in defeat. I just don't see the point in fighting a losing battle."

He sighs as I take a drink from the glass.

"So what do you plan to do?"

"I don't know but I can't go back to Mystic Falls, not yet."

He smiles, taking my hand, "Then stay here with us."

"Rebekah won't mind?"

"Of course not."

"Thank you, Elijah, but there's something else I want to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"I need you to compel the pain away. I don't want to forget him. I don't want to forget that I loved him. I need the break-up to be a mutual thing, something that happened because it was best for us both."

"Aria…"

"Please, Elijah. It took everything in me to get here without going back to my old ways, to keep from shutting down all over again."

Finally, he nods.

"Who is Damon Salvatore?"

"He's my ex-boyfriend."

"Why did you break up?"

"He's in love with someone else."

Elijah takes a deep breath, taking my face in his hands. His eyes meet mine steadily as he begins his compulsion.

"You and Damon parted because of mutual differences. Things were too difficult for you in Mystic Falls. You wanted to leave but he refused to go with you… so you left without him. The truth is that you knew it was what was best for both of you. No one else is to blame." He releases my face. "Now who is Damon Salvatore?"

"He's my ex-boyfriend."

"Why did you break up?"

"I wanted to leave Mystic Falls, and he didn't want to come with me. I couldn't stay there anymore. I wasn't happy."

"If you loved him so much, why would you leave without him?"

"It was best for both of us. He was the reason I broke the first time. I couldn't let that happen again so I left."

I start to shake as I cry. Elijah pulls me into his arms.

"I loved him."

"I know. I know, but you're better off."

I nod, but I also continue to cry as he holds me.

…

A few months go by and life in New Orleans, life with Elijah is nearly perfect. The witches cause minimal problems because they're all afraid of Klaus. There's a werewolf girl here. Her name is Hayley, and she's pregnant with Klaus' child. It's very obvious to me that Elijah is interested in her. Knowing this, I'm forced to keep my own feelings for him a secret.

Late one evening I'm walking around the library at the compound, examining the shelves, trying to find something to read. A deep sigh escapes me, lingering the silence.

"Are you alright?"

I turn to find Elijah standing in the doorway.

"How long have you been standing there?" I ask.

"Long enough to know that there's something off about you."

"I'm fine, Elijah."

He cocks his head to the side, "There's never been a time that you didn't tell me what was wrong with you. What's changed between us, Aria? Why are you hiding things from me?"

"I'm not hiding anything."

There's venom in my voice. I want to shout at him, to tell him to let it go because nothing will change. He looks visibly hurt by my tone of voice. I can barely believe how angry I actually am at the moment. I just don't know if the anger is directed at him, myself or…

"I have to go."

When I try to walk past him, he catches me. I look into his eyes, which turns out to be a big mistake.

"You are not to leave this room until I say. You are going to tell me what's wrong."

I freeze immediately, turning to face him.

"I don't like the way you look at her. It makes me think of our time together, a time when you were my savior, my friend… my lover. You used to look at me like that. Now you can barely spare me a second glance, especially when she comes into the room."

"You're treating me this way because you're jealous of Hayley?"

I nod, "I know it sounds ridiculous."

He smiles, taking my hand and leading further into the library. He shuts the door and locks it. Then his hands are on my cheeks. Then his lips are on mine. His kiss is sweet, chaste in its gentility. He pulls away, taking a step back.

"You can leave whenever you like," He says, looking into my eyes, "but I need you know that my feelings have not changed since we parted all those years ago. I assumed your feelings for me had changed. You came here crying over a man that broke your heart on more than one occasion. I thought I had lost you so I tried to move on. Aria," he says, touching his hand to cheek again, "no one can replace you in my heart."

He kisses me again, this time more forcefully. As I succumb to his touch, the memories of these past couple of years flash through my mind. I see every happy moment, every sad moment, and every fight. All over again I see every time either he walked out on me or I walked out on him. Usually, whoever walked out would come home and we would make up. Everything would be fine for a while until we fought again. Then it would happen all over again. The same damn cycle would repeat itself.

Being here with Elijah is easier somehow, almost a little too easy. Then I understand. I want him to fight with me. I want some opposition. I want Damon. I need Damon in my life.

I pull away from Elijah, left breathless by his kiss. I step out of his embrace, sighing heavily before laughing softly to myself.

"I'm sorry, Elijah. I… I have to go."

"What are you saying?"

"I was wrong, Elijah, to come here. I sought you out thinking I could move on as easily as I thought you did. I love you, Elijah, just not as much as I love him. Damon's everything to me and I can't believe I just walked away from him. I'm going back to Mystic Falls. That's where my heart is."

He nods, shoving his hands into his pockets, "Then go, but I'll always be here if you need me."

"Thank you, Elijah."

I kiss his cheek and leave the library.

I leave Elijah and the city of New Orleans behind, making the conscious decision not to have Elijah remove the compulsion I had asked for. I don't want to remember the truth about why I left, whatever that truth may be. All I know is that after all this time, the only thing I want is to be back in Damon's arms.

I'm glad we moved my car from my apartment and to the compound. The lights of the city become stars in my rearview mirror. I drive down the road, resolving at last to take Damon back.


	9. Humanity Send Me No Need Of Thee

Call Damon. _We're sorry. Your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please hang up and try again._

Call Stefan. _We're sorry. Your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please hang up and try again._

Call Stefan. _We're sorry. Your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please hang up and try again._

Why in the hell is no one picking up the phone?

I try Damon one last time as I get closer to Mystic Falls. He still doesn't answer. I try Stefan again and finally he answers.

"Where are you?" he asks.

"I'm on my way to Mystic Falls. I've been trying to call you. I even tried Damon."

He takes a deep breath, "Don't go to Mystic Falls."

"Why not?"

"There's a lot to explain and it's more than I care to try to explain over the phone. Meet me outside of Elena's dorm at Whitmore."

"Stefan, what_"

"Call me when you get here."

Then he hangs up. I change course and head for Whitmore College.

It's early when I get there; no one is outside apart from a few maintenance people. I park the car outside of the dorm and call Stefan.

"Yeah?"

"I'm outside the dorm. What now?"

"I'll be there in a second."

Then he just hangs up. I get out of the car and a few moments later, Stefan is standing next to me. He smiles and hugs me tightly.

"I feel like you've been gone forever."

"I know." I say, "I never should have left."

"I'm glad you did. Things got pretty crazy here."

All of a sudden his smile fades, and he lowers his head.

"Stefan, what's wrong?"

He holds his hand out. In his palm rests Damon's daylight ring.

"Stefan…" I sigh, fighting back my tears, "What happened?"

"The Other Side was breaking down. We wanted to save everyone. There was a spell but it required a lot of souls to pass through the Anchor one after another. We thought the travelers would be our best chance so we set something up to kill them all and open the door to the Other Side. Everyone made it back through but Damon and Bonnie."

"So he's… dead?"

He nods.

I take the ring from his hand and take off my necklace. I put it onto the chain with the engagement ring Damon had given me so long ago and put it back around my neck. It's cold against my chest. Within the next moment, I'm collapsing. Stefan catches me, slowly lowering me to the ground. I clutch onto him tightly as I cry.

The things I said to him… I left him…

"I never even got to say goodbye."

"None of us did. We were expecting everyone to come back."

"What happened?"

"The witch who did the spell was interrupted by her brother. He stopped her before Damon could get back through."

I pull myself out of Stefan's arms and get to my feet.

"I'll kill him."

"You can't kill him."

"Why not?"

"Because then his sister will kill you. So just calm down. We're going to find a way to get him back."

"You don't even know if we can get him back."

"But we might be able to. We're going to do our research, follow some leads. We'll figure this out."

"When did all of this happen?"

"It's been a while."

"How long is a while?"

"Three, maybe four months."

"Why didn't anyone call me?"

"We didn't think we should after everything that happened before you left."

"I knew I shouldn't have left."

"You had no reason to stay. No one blames you for leaving."

"I could have tried harder to make it work."

"Wait. Aria, why did you and Damon break up?"

"We decided we weren't right for each other. Things just weren't working out."

He looks me in my eyes, suspicion obvious on his face, "What did you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Either you are in some serious denial or you found some way to change the reality of the situation. So which is it?"

"The second one. I had my memories compelled away."

He sighs, "Come with me."

"Why?"

"Just come with me."

I sigh and roll my eyes, but I still follow him. We go into some building; I'm not really pay much attention. We stop outside of an office door. He knocks and a familiar voice tells us to come in.

"Alaric… you're alive."

"Hey, Aria, long time no see."

I smile and walk over to him, quickly embracing him.

"What brings the two of you here?" he asks as he releases me and looks to Stefan.

"She had an Original compel away the real reason she and Damon broke up."

"And you want me to break that compulsion?"

"You got it."

"But I don't want it broken."

"Aria, if we're going to get Damon back, I need your help. I need you thinking clearly. How can you think clearly when your mind if clouded by a false truth. Let Alaric remove the compulsion."

"What if I don't want Damon back afterwards?"

"What if you do?"

I chew my bottom lip for a moment, thinking.

I sigh, "Fine."

"Alright, Aria, come sit down with me."

He positions a couple of chairs facing each other. Each of us sits in one, and he takes my hand.

"Keep your eyes on mine." Our gazes lock, "Why did you and Damon break up?"

"I wanted to leave Mystic Falls. He didn't. We decided it was for the best if we were apart, that we weren't good for each other."

"That's not true. Take me back to the night it happened. Tell me what's happening. Where are you?"

"We're on a road. There's a body at Damon's feet."

"Who is it?"

"Aaron Whitmore."

"Are you and Damon speaking?"

"Yes."

"What are the two of you talking about?"

"Monsters. He thinks he's a monster."

"Why?"

"Everyone said so. I'm trying to make him understand that I don't think that, that in comparison I'm the monster. He didn't believe me because Elena was one of the people who said it."

"Why did that matter?"

My breathing begins to speed up, "I don't want to do this."

I try to turn my head but Alaric stops me, placing his hand against my cheek and forcing me to hold his gaze.

"Aria, tell me. Why did it matter what Elena thought?"

"Because he loves her. He doesn't love me anymore. I didn't decide anything. He decided everything. He practically told me to leave. So I left."

He releases my face but pulls me into his arms, cradling me like a broken child. He sighs.

"Why did you and Damon break up?"

"Because he didn't want me anymore. He didn't love me anymore."

The pain of having these memories back, mixed with the pain of his death, is almost unbearable. I pull away from Alaric and get to me feet. Stefan tries to stop me when I start heading for the door.

"Aria, wait."

"I'll be okay. I just need some air."

I walk across the campus to my car, to Elena's dorm. With a tiny bit of hesitation, I head for the building. Fearing she would be in her room, I hesitate a little bit more. Lucky for me, she's in the hallway.

"Hello, Elena." I say, a false joy in my voice.

"Aria, when did you get back?"

"This morning."

The girl she is talking to says her goodbyes and leaves.

"Elena?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to rip your fucking heart out."

Her eyes grow wide. She attempts to run but I've always been faster than her. Sadly, Stefan's always been faster than me. He has my back against a wall, my hands pinned at my sides.

"Killing her won't solve anything."

"It'll make me feel better."

"This is not the answer, Aria."

"I could have been here! I could have protected him!" Every impulse I had to fight leaves my body as I begin to break down again, "She took him from me. This is her fault."

"It's not like I asked for this to happen."

"It doesn't matter. It happened and now I'm alone all over again. I've spent all this time hoping that Damon would change his mind. I thought we could make it work, but everything I believed was a lie because I had that lie put there. I didn't want to believe that he was gone because he didn't love me, because he loved someone else. I had that compelled away. Coping with mutual differences is easy. I can change his mind. I can't change his heart. His heart is with you and I'll kill you for it."

My fight comes back but Stefan manages to keep me restrained.

"Elena, I don't how much longer I can hold her. Get out of here."

"Stefan…"

"Get out of here, Elena, now!"

I watch her walk away from my place against the wall. Once she's gone, Stefan releases me. I try to walk away but he catches me.

"Get off of me, Stefan!"

"What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't. I just know I want her dead. If she hadn't have come between us, Damon would have left with me or at the very least I could've stayed."

"You could've stayed. You chose to leave."

"Without Damon, there's nothing here for me." I comb my bangs back with my fingers, "I never should have come back in the first place. We had been apart for so long. I should have just let it go, left well enough alone. I guess it doesn't matter now."

I turn to walk away but he stops me again, "I know what you're thinking. None of this is worth shutting off your humanity."

I don't say anything. As I leave the dorm and head for my car, I can feel my emotions slipping away. The grief, the pain, it all leaves me little by little. My tear-stained cheeks and my grief-stricken grimace seem like a distant memory.

With Whitmore College and Mystic Falls in my rearview mirror, I vow to never look back. My humanity was always a part of me that Damon inspired. I clung to it in my time without him, hoping to find him again. With him gone, it's pointless.

I call Elijah once I hit the interstate.

"Where will you go?" he asks.

"Back to Europe. I hear Rome is beautiful this time of year."

"You'll call if you need anything?"

"I should be fine, but if not, I know where to find you."

"Good luck, Aria. I hope you find yourself again."

"I am myself, Elijah. That I know for sure."

I hang up the phone, tossing it into the passenger seat.

**And another one bites the dust. I'm choosing to end this here. There's nothing else I can do with it. While originally I was hoping for it end a little happier, I can't see that working. Nevertheless, I thank everyone who supported it. Keep an eye out for any new stuff I may publish. **

**Thanks so much! **

**The Author**


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